Reflections l snoitcelfeR

Our first monthly Think Tank Thursday and a PD day have forced me to take the time to slow down for a minute and to reflect on the month gone by.  Having experienced every emotion known to man this month, it is no wonder that I was so tired!  This new Kinder adventure has been just that.  I can honestly say that I have learned more this month than my students have ... and they have uncovered a ton!

We have formed new relationships, have taken chances, have shed a few tears (okay, they came from a few of the littles, not from us), and have shared a million amazing firsts.  I have always believed that children are competent and capable and have known that they need to be given the opportunity to do for themselves but they have certainly surpassed my expectations and seem to have surprised themselves on occasion!

We have experimented with different types of blocks for building, pausing to discuss which were sturdier, which ones "needed more at the bottom so that N. couldn't knock them over"), which ones need to be used on the carpet (tres noisy), which ones shouldn't be used on the carpet ("too tippy"), and which ones we have more of (because the best tower is always the tallest tower, don't you know).

We have investigated and compared pumpkins by shape, size, and colour.  ("Did you know that they can make ghost pumpkins?  They're white ... and they're real!!!")

Our sunflower inquiry was short lived yet very educational.  We found that sunflowers can be taller than Ms. Scott, that they "get bendy" when they are "too tall", that the seeds are white (and don't grow well) when they are immature, that they look like the sun, that they are prickly but soft, and that they get REALLY stinky when they start to rot.

We learned a lot about math!  ("It's everywhere!", "Is that math too?!?"), and that there might be a million words in the English language that begin with the 's' sound.

We also discovered that whacking pots and pans as they hang from the school yard fence can make beautiful music.  We helped our neighbours discover it too!

It has been a great, crazy, educational, noisy, and fun start!  Here's to another 9 months!

Sue Scott, teacher and learner

#wondergarten
#comcon

Uncovering Their Own Learning

With an after-hours Math workshop and our annual Open House this week, I find that I am completely physically exhausted ... and have succumbed to the germs that surround me.  I have to specify that it is only my body that is slowing down because, although I am a tad warn (and more than a tad warM), my mind is swirling more than ever.  Uncovering the learning of the wonders in my charge and sharing in their discoveries (and their overwhelming excitement) seems to be all that I need to keep diving in too!
This week saw several short-lived provocations, from a "massive" sunflower (that was "bigger than the teacha's head") and "full of yucky, sticky (and now stinky) milk" to ribbons of different lengths and weights wafting in the wind.  Just when I thought that I may never be able to encourage my students to follow-through on an inquiry, a five-year-old proved me wrong ... again. :)
On Thursday evening, we welcomed our families into Wondergarten and showed them how we spend our days.  It was amazing to hear my kidlets refer to their 'play and activities' using the terms "patterns", "measuring", "proving", and "convincing"!  I will likely never forget the look on a 9-year-old brother's face when his little sister explained to him that "A t-Rex is obviously a carnivore because it really wouldn't need sharp claws to make a salad,". Huh.  "Amelia, how do you know that this dinosaur eats meat?  What does this dinosaur over here have that this one doesn't?"  Wow.  Five years old and already wiser than many.
If you know of neigh-sayers that might have difficulty understanding where the education is in the new FDK program, I seem to have a room full of shining stars that can explain it to them!  I am both amazed and blessed every day. #comcon #wondergarten

Sue Scott, teacher and learner

Go Team!

The seemingly limitless abilities of my students will never cease to amaze me.  A wise woman once repeated, "Expect that they are competent and capable, and they will be."  I do, and they are.  Enough said.
Last week, in an effort to be open and welcoming, I replied to a reach-out from our Kindergarten consultant with an open invitation to join our class any time that she wished to.  As I was so completely exhausted and totally immersed in our every day, that I didn't take time to consider what she might question when she arrived ... the second Monday of my first year in Kinderland.
What an incredible experience!  Coming from a place of sheer interest and many strong beliefs, but very little Kinder experience, I spent a great deal of my summer reading, retweeting, viewing, and inquiring about all things Kinder.  When I asked 4,325,649 questions of our guide on Monday and (briefly) stopped asking long enough to listen and observe, I found a kindred spirit (cheeseball, I know).  At any rate, I don't think that I have ever been more excited to embark on a new journey as I am about this crazy Kinder adventure!  With an in-house team of twelve Kinder educators (plus a fantastic French teacher and an amazing support staff, including an incredibly open and supportive administrator), a forward-thinking consultant (who is seemingly on-call 24-7 to help deal with my absurdities), and a world of experienced teachers at my fingertips, the idea of a vertical learning curve is more thrilling than ever.  I have truly never felt more fortunate to have been granted the opportunity to become a teacher. #wondergarten @wondergarten #comcon

Sue Scott, teacher and learner

Learning In Progress: All About Learning Experiences!

Learning In Progress: All About Learning Experiences!: Yes I have not tackled the curriculum content yet!  I am still creating learning situations for students to unpack, why collaborate? How to ...



Thanks for sharing @rolat!  The team-building, communication-increasing, jiving activities that you planned for your students to begin another great year are fabulous!  Thank you so much for documenting and sharing!

I can't wait to take a closer look at Padlet!  I also enjoyed the Pencil video and am excited to share it with my colleagues.  What a great provocation to spur an inquiry and to focus on the environmental impacts of our actions (or inaction); a great message for the beginning of the school year! #comcon

Sue Scott, teacher and learner
#wondergarten

A Beautiful Blur

Suffice to say that twelve years of training in the field does not a Kindergarten teacher make!  With the learning curve of twenty-four 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds and two significantly older "students" vaulting straight up, today opened and closed with a swoosh and I ended the day too exhausted to type.  Our first day flew by in a blink and our crew became just that, very quickly.  Not only are Kinders competent and capable, they are some of the most caring creatures alive!  From one sweetheart comforting a newly separated child to a group sharing toys and stories, they made me pause more times than I can count.  Collaboration and cooperation were central themes all day.  What an amazing group of kidlets.  Time to introduce the peace pebble jar!
Here's to another great go ... and perhaps a few more hours of sleep!
#wondergarten @wondergarten #comcon

Sue Scott, teacher and learner